The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-24
HE VOTES THE PEOPLES TICKET.

from the religious LeneLS or his Norm on
parents, was recently asked to explain
why he trains with the Peoples party
though no longer Latter-day Saint.
His answer is worthy the earnest
thought of every young man In the Ter
ritery.
Your request" he said, sis natural
in view of the efforts of the Tribune
clique to enforce the idea that all
Gentiles are Liberals, and all Mormons
members of the Peoples party. But
this idea involves the assumption that
there is something wrong, legally and
constitutionally immoral in Mormonism
which its adherents cannot see and its
non-communicants cannot fail to see.
But do all non-Mormons take this
view7 And is the religion of the Latter
day Saints, or their practices, so i'm
moral as to deserve the opposition of
all, not so "duped," as they say, as to
be numbered among them2 1 find.
upon inquiry, that there are many nom
Mormons, who, with myself, regard the
contest in Utah as contest between a
people who are clinging for dear life to
a certain fundamental right, and a
merciless set of politicians, who hope,
upon the wave of prejudice, to ride
over these submerged opponents into
an undeserYed power. The Peoples
party claims then two classes of
adherents those who seek their
rights and those who are will
ing to accord them. 1t is the
gospel of hate, a relic of bar
barism, utterly inconsonant with the
advanced civilization of the day, and
repugnant to the Constitution, that
the Mormons should be prosecuted,
because, forsooth, some of US do not
comprehend, or have little sympathy
with their principles.
All, well it is exclaimed, we do not
ask you to be Liberal, simply because
Mormon doctrines are pernicious and
Mormon practice abominable. But
when l ask for proof of this, am met
with volume of gratuitous SANDERS,
of which my own experiences are a
complete refutation. They have the
to tell me that the Mormons
are unchaste, when from my!.earliest
infancy, I have seen this people, both
by precept and by example, stigmatize
as a crime scarcely less
heiDous than murder. Why, I re-
year or two ago, having read |
an editorial in the New York Herald, !
prompted by the malicious libels of the
local Tribune, which described the |
Mormon community as reeking with
its little children grossly |
icentious in speech, its youth Ebidinous,
and its adult members, unchaste to the
asst degree. Is it necessary for me to
proclaim my independence of Nor
by adopting such foul SANDER?
Ny own experiences among the
Mormon people, and they have
over the whole Territory, and
Turing a life time, are that they are
truthful, temperate, thrifty, in
iustrious and virtuous in the highest
legree. This experience, which 1 have
gained through contact with indIvi-
iuals, awaits every candid obse rver
Who will spend few hours away from
he highway OF prejudice, among the
Mormon people. The community is
nut concentrated reflex of the modes
VI life of its component individuals;
md while every traveller cannot hope
o study MoTmonism alphabetically, he
nay do so analytically.
They cry murder and blood atone
nent, when the Territory has been re-
free from no nicide.
They cry Mountain Meadows mas
acre, when every line of proof on
ecord shows that the Mormon Church
lad nothing to do with it; and when
very prompting of reason tells that
hey should have had nothing to do
With it.
They cry church and state, when they
ire unable to present one single case
where unanimously Mormon legisla
ares haYe Disseminated between
lasses.
They loudly demand the rights of
American citizens, while enjoying every
privilege enjoyed by Mormons, except
he privilege of casting enough votes to
!cct their candidates.
They proclaim Mormouism to be
because, 1 suppose, the
I5rmons cling to polygamy and loo8
Or Gods Kingdom 10 come. But il is
singular fact, that the Mormons arr
he only people who have ever taught
hist God inspired the American Consti-
ution.
Good lungs and the habit OF shout
lg Il am an American citizen" before
very drink, though invaluable, are not ]
be sole requisites for patriotism.
1 behold the Mormon people. a people
eady to extend to all the rights they
emand and the privileges they ask.
As to polygamy, regard the current
lea az tn ifs immoralitv Tn he antiraIv